The existence of informal groups in organisations is a reality. People in organisations compete for scarce resources, positions and influence, and as a result, depend on each other or groups to achieve their objectives. The purpose of each study was to establish the perception organisational members have on informal groups and the influence these groups have on the management of organisations. The problem is whether management or leadership in organisations can effectively perform without being affected and influenced by these informal structures. the main objective s of the study was to investigate and establish whether informal groups or cabals had a particular influence on the performance of management and how that influence impacted on the managing or leadership of organisations. A case study of four organisations, namely Mafikeng and Naledi municipality, the Quality Assurance Directorate in the Department of Education and the ANC Vryburg branch was conducted. members of these organisations were randomly sampled in line with the purposive sampling strategy for the interview purpose. The empirical investigation revealed that informal groups exist in organisations and they serve their own interest. members of the informal groups are well known and influential people who have a tendency to disregard organisational processes and procedures. The study also showed that informal groups are described as destructive and detrimental to the welfare and operations of the organisation, in that they have the capacity to influence, intimidate and affect management and leadership in the performance of duties. The groups can also dominate and dictate terms to others and are a potential for conflict in the organisation. The researcher recommends that management or leadership in organisations should be proactive by pre-emptying and identifying possible informal groups and deal with them by formulating and creating structures and systems to regulate, manage, control, monitor and evaluate personnel, resources and activities. In addition, management should be transparent, involve all members fairly and channel the energies of informal groups in a positive direction, for continuous capacity building. Management should further on a continuous basis remind members on the latest developments regarding various procedures, code of conduct, the necessity and consequences of non-compliance to organisational policies, principles and procedures. / (MBA) North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2006

The East Asian financial crisis and the failures of Enron and Worldcom in the United States of America have put corporate governance and risk management in the forefront of the corporate scenes. McKinsey's global investor opinion survey on corporate governance carried out in 2000 indicated that majority of investors were prepared to pay a premium for companies exhibiting high governance standards. Central to corporate governance is risk management as can be seen from the various codes on corporate governance, namely, Malaysian Code on Corporate Governance and the United Kingdom's Combined Code on Corporate Governance. / Thesis (DBA(DoctorateofBusinessAdministration))--University of South Australia, 2005.

University of Technology, Sydney. Faculty of Business. / Recent regulatory changes in developed economies have sought to apply uniform standards for corporate governance following a series of high profile corporate collapses between 2000 and 2002. The various regulatory responses raised questions in the governance literature on the appropriateness of a “one size fits all” approach. However, empirical outcomes in this literature do not provide a consistent picture on how, or even whether, governance choices vary with firm characteristics. This thesis addresses the lack in empirical direction by investigating the discriminatory power of a fundamental firm variable, the price-to-book ratio (P/B), that is often applied in Australian and other studies to predict governance outcomes. It evaluates how a joint price-to-book, price-to- earnings, firm classification (P/B, P/E) captures variations in governance choices by Australian firms and compares the results with those using a conventional P/B classification. Choices for two key mechanisms – the level of independence of the board of directors and the quality of its external auditors, are examined as they feature prominently in regulatory reforms. The results show that a joint P/B, P/E classification captures significant differences in the use of both mechanisms confirming that governance frameworks vary with firm characteristics. Consistent with expectations, these differences are recorded for board independence within high and within low P/B firms. Significant variations are also identified in the choice of auditor quality within both P/B classes of firms. By enabling a more parsimonious analysis of firm characteristics through the joint P/B, P/E framework, these results enhance our understanding of the choice of independent directors and high quality auditors. They also lend support to the general proposition that a “one size fits all” governance framework could lead to unnecessary costs for firms as they seek optimal governance arrangements that suit their specific information environments.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Washington State University, December 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 119-148).

Zugl.: Potsdam, Univ., Diss., 2005

Zugl.: Wien, Wirtschaftsuniv., Diplomarbeit, 2005 u.d.T.: Krimmer, Peter: The Sarbanes Oxley act and its impact on European companies

Zugl.: Würzburg, Univ., Diss., 2005

Zugl.: Heidelberg, Univ., Diss., 2006

Zugl.: Diplomarbeit J. M. Hempel, F. Wiemken u.d.T.: Hempel, Jan Markus: Corporate governance & Sarbanes-Oxley Act

Zugl.: Bonn, University, Diss., 2006.